(Woodstock, Ontario, Canada)

In mid-July, I played in some major lawn bowling tournaments in Southwestern Ontario. This involved three full days of competition in Kitchener and another two full days in Woodstock. No time to be a tourist on those days! But, in between, we had a rest day where we could recharge and see a few things beyond the competition venues.

The Brickhouse in Woodstock is a very solid-looking structure. It was initially built as the central utility powerhouse for a hospital. While the facility closed in 1996, this building was saved and ultimately reopened as a craft brewery (Upper Thames Brewing Company) and restaurant. They have a startling number of beers on tap, and a fairly sizable menu as well.

We also paid a (return) visit to the Sushi Cove restaurant. I’ve always enjoyed the Japanese and Korean offerings here, and this time I ventured a little further off the beaten path to try their House Special Udon Soup. In the photo below, there are a lot of udon noodles hidden under all the other stuff. They also supplied some fiery seasoning to spice it up!

Although I’ve played in Woodstock a number of times, I haven’t really had much time to explore the surrounding area. This time, however, I was prepared. I did some research and found an interesting destination near the rural village of Oxford Centre (see cover photo above). And it had a special connection to both my Swiss and Dutch roots!

Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese is a family-run operation making a range of excellent cheeses. Of course, given that the family is Dutch, they make some Dutch-style cheese. As gouda (“gow-da”, not “goo-da”) is one of my absolute favourite cheeses, I had to pick up some of their sheep’s milk gouda. But the day’s pièce de résistance may be a bit of a surprise.

The cool twist to this story is that the cheesemakers studied cheesemaking in Switzerland! And my very favourite Swiss cheeses are the hard alpine cheeses that are basically impossible to find here. Often known generically as Alpkäse (“alp cheese”) or Bergkäse (“mountain cheese”), they are a highlight of every trip to Switzerland. My favourite is probably Berner Hobelkäse (“Bernese shaved cheese”), so named because you need a special device to “shave” thin slices.

So, when I saw that this cheesemaker had a Swiss-alpine style hard cheese called Handeck, I had to try it. It was excellent…as it should be, given that it is aged for 24 months! As I won’t be in the Woodstock area again for a while, I’ve done some research about local suppliers. And it looks like I will be able to find it locally through the Limestone Organic Creamery. Who knew?

While we were able to sample a number of cheeses before buying, we weren’t there on a Saturday…so we couldn’t go on a proper tour. But we will definitely do that if we are ever in the Woodstock area on a Saturday.